PMSC - March 11th & 12th, 2006
(Story and photography - Scott Miller)
Ice Race Journal Index
PMSC -
March 11th & 12th, 2006
(Story and photography - Scott Miller)
Ice Race Journal Index
I think you should read this disclaimer if you are
one that is prone to believing everything they read.
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The 2006 season of ice racing is over and the
Swedish Motors,
Brooklin Concrete Products,
Minden House Bed & Breakfast,
University Werks Landscaping and
SACtionizer sponsored Ovlov 242, Car #24 driven by me - Scott Miller - is the
2006 Magnum Fine Printing Icerace Champion in the RWD Street Stud
class!!! Thanks to all who helped make this happen not only my sponsors
but individuals that helped prep the car (Mike Evans, Ian Lok), helped
tow it (Ian Lok), helped with those mad between race tire changes and
repair to the car when I most needed it ( Ian Mcyntre, Steve Drysdale,
Jim Mcglade, James King, Dave King and anyone else I forgot from around
our end of the paddock), everyone from Tirecraft for your Street Stud
Tires sponsorship, support and repairs (Jeff Wenzel, James King and
Curtis), Terry Dalton - for all the vinyl graphics and lastly, but by no
means least, my wife Judy for encouraging me to race this year and
continued to support me even when she was really sick and in bed last
weekend ...
Very warm temps resulting in lots of "boat racing" with Sunday being cancelled. I had prepared my car for this eventuality, sealed all holes replaced all ignition components and sprayed with silicon, purchased dedicated "slush and slop" tires - Hakkapolita 2's. It all payed off with ironically the most amazing racing I have experienced this season. I think most of the pics and vids will express the events of the weekend the best.
My brother and his family arrived Satrurday, they're from Michigan, to catch an hour or so of the racing along with my parents from Port Perry. Also Leon Lok road as passenger for most of my races Saturday and I think he really had a laugh. His brother Ian was up for one day of racing in Street studs. He won the first one, I won the second one. I entered the LTB shootout - they started all the cars on the start finish line regardless of drive configuration. Usually the front wheel and AWD cars have a track position penalty of about a 1/3 of a lap and 2/3 lap respectively. I went out with street studs on the front ( I didn't have time nor the inclination to swap them for rubber tires) and Hakkapolita 2's on the back. I beat
everybody including the all wheel drive guys but the marshals noticed I had studs on the front and I was summarily disqualified so I didn't win anything but there wasn't anything to win anyway - oh well. I wish I had put the good Blizzaks on the front because the street stud tires do not deal with the slush at all and I hydroplanned for most of the course where-as if I'd put on the Blizzaks I would have done even better. Anyhow, had a blast! I smoked everyone in the last stud race of the season. Finished champion in the RWD Street Stud class SS1 and I believe finished second overall in the points in street stud. Sounds like I get a set of new tires for next year and of course, finally after 8 years, a jacket! I bunked with Terry Dalton (multiple class 1 and 11 champ) and Steffan Haas (multiple winner of full Stud class FWD) in Cottage 3 at the Minden house B&B (my sponsors) this year. Despite our reputation for partying I think Terry put it best in an email to me this week... "In cottage 3: you SS1 Champ, 2nd overall SS too, so tire deal coming your way, Stef ss3 champ, 3rd overall SS - 1 tire. Me class 1, class 11, overall rubber, plus shootout. I‘d have to say “cabin 3” racing rocks!!!!!!" I would have to concur.
Lots of wet and wild action by Saturday afternoon with temps up around 12C. If you didn't come prepared for this you suffered - wet wires, soaked feet and car interiors, wipers that wouldn't work, water in the engine and air intake etc etc etc. I made sure during initial car preparation this eyar to ready my car for this weekend - it happens every year people - deal with it. As a result of all these "wet" people, Sunday saw most entries withdrawn to the extent that there was not enough cars to form a class for most of the other entries.
Also there was a bad accident on Saturday that had the event Steward worried that there may be an even bigger accident on Sunday and it might wind up spelling the end of ice racing in Minden. Lee Watterworth had had some trouble getting his friend Ruddy's white Civic to keep running as we waited for him on the MG. He finally showed up and we gridded. As the green dropped I saw Lee move slowly over to the right and stop. On the next time around I couldnt' see much of anything until I was right on top of Lee's car as I came up beside him I saw Jason Sharpe's Civic look like it was pushing Lee off to the side of the track. It wasn't until part way through the second lap that the race was red flagged. It turn's out that Jason could not see Lee's car sitting on the start/finish line because of the excessive wave of water continuously pouring out from under the wheels of Steffs' car just ahead of him. Steff had the same problem with the AWD cars ahead of him but was fortunate to be able to avoid Lee's car at the last second. Jason did not have that much distance or time in fact he had no time to react . It took 20 minutes to extricate the two cars from each other. No one was seriously hurt but Jason later complained of a stiff neck.
There was some fun going on at the Cliffe Saturday night as Manny the manager set up a race track and held tri-cycle races. I think Manny will be ice racing next year. S/\CEWE ! ... see you at the icerace banquet at the Club Anandale in Ajax, cocktails are at 6pm Saturday April 1st ... no foolin'.
Racing: Saturday:
Really wet, warm racing with tons of slush everywhere but right on the racing line weith 3 to 4 inches of standing water on the line. The best way to deal with it was to tuck up behind the car in front and let them break the water for you and then try to get in a pass in the corners. However the first turn developed some HUGE water filled, suspension-destroying sink-holes that made you think your suspension was going to be pounded up through the hood! The pic at left shows the result of trying to go through it as Tom Prentice's car gets loose. Tom beat me in the first Street Stud race by keeping that Nissan as wide as possible in the turns and Ian Lok was ahead of him. I got a good start in the second race of the day and stayed on to win. In the rubber to ice I raced the 240 Ovlov as I had towed home the electronics filled nitemare the weekend before - there was no way I was going to risk running the 740 Ov in these wet conditions!
Sunday: Racing was officially cancelled around 12:30 eevn though om and Gord said the track was in better shape than on Saturday. I was quite dissappointed as I wanted to have some more fun on teh most excellent Hakapolita's Track Conditions/ Weather: Saturday:
Sunday: Results: Street Stud Champion 2006 for RWD! For all results visit the CASC site: http://casc.on.ca/iceRacing.php Pics:
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